Under relentless Israeli bombardment and forced displacement, caring for children with special needs in Gaza has become a daily struggle for survival.
Abeer Hassan, a mother in Deir el-Balah, describes the torment of looking after her autistic son, Abdallah, amid constant explosions. “As people started fleeing the area, we were also urged to leave,” she told Al Jazeera. Abdallah grew anxious as he watched cars filled with displaced families and began using sign language to express his distress.
Hassan’s family initially sought shelter in a crowded displacement camp but was turned away. They were later told to move near Salah al-Din Street — an area also under threat. “My daughters and I were crying, and Abdallah was tense, making strange sounds. The heat is unbearable, and we don’t know where to go,” she said.
Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, Palestinians have been repeatedly ordered to evacuate to al-Mawasi, designated a so-called “safe zone,” yet it too has faced Israeli strikes. The endless orders and bombardments have left Abdallah roaming the streets, pulling at his hair — a habit his family tried to stop by cutting it short.
Hassan says she resorted to prescribed sleeping pills to keep Abdallah calm. The loss of her mobile phone, his only source of distraction through games and videos, has made things worse. “We were under immense pressure … at one point, I asked God to take our lives together so Abdallah wouldn’t be alone,” she pleaded.
In nearly two years of Israeli attacks, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports at least 66,005 people killed and 168,162 wounded — figures that reflect the scale of suffering for all, especially the most vulnerable.
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